The Employment of Spiritual Diplomacy in Israeli Foreign Policy Towards the Arab Region after 2010

Spiritual diplomacy constitutes an important strategic tool in Israeli foreign policy, utilized to serve its interests and achieve its goals by leveraging religious themes and shared spiritual values. Israel has sought to use this approach to fulfill its regional ambitions in the Arab world by imposing its influence and establishing a regional system under its hegemony, aligned with its strategic interests alongside the United States and some regional actors. This strategy emphasizes reducing the centrality of the Palestinian cause or relegating it to a forgotten issue by neutralizing Arab and regional support for it, while also aiming to alter the internal Palestinian landscape by eliminating Hamas and Qassam Brigades in key Palestinian areas. This strategy has heavily relied on the Abraham Accords, which are considered one of the most significant tools of spiritual diplomacy, as a means to advance Israel’s expansionist project aimed at attracting Arab actors at the expense of the Palestinian cause. However, this strategy still faces challenges related to addressing and correcting religious narratives that carry hostile undertones. Official Arab positions remain cautious toward these Israeli plans and projects, which are perceived as aiming to spread chaos in the Arab region. Additionally, there is widespread public opposition to this expansionist project. The future role of spiritual diplomacy in Arab-Israeli relations remains uncertain, oscillating between regression and development amidst the ongoing regional changes.